Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in by altitude
While lake levels can flucuate frequently based on several circumstances, the altitude/elevation of a lake is based on its normal water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as “full pond” or “full pool”.Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation. Some lakes’ minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet – according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more. When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access – and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.
A lake’s highest water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake’s highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake’s dam or spillway. At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake’s maximum elevation.
You can find many of the world’s highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list. Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Enchantment Lakes (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
7,000 ft | Also known as Sprite Lake, Leprechaun Lake, Lake Viviane, Isolation Lake, Talisman Lake, Brisengamen Lakelets, Lake Brynhild, Lake Freya, Lake Rune. Crystal Lake, Shield Lake, Mesa Lake, Earle Lakes The Enchantment Lakes are very different from the type of lake most people envision when thinking of lakefront vacations. There are no boats, no swimm… |
| McPhee Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
6,924 ft | In 1776 Spanish priests traveling through the Dolores Valley imagined a project that would bring water to the thirsty crops of the Montezuma Valley. B… |
| Jackson Lake, WY (Northwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
6,769 ft | Jackson Lake is located in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park. It is in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, one of the… |
| Hebgen Lake (Gold West Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA, Yellowstone Country, MT) |
6,547 ft | Anglers will find some of Montana’s best stillwater trout fishing at Hebgen Lake. The 12,500-acre reservoir lies conveniently just outside the western… |
| Mono Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
6,417 ft | Mono Lake, located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, has a long and rich history dating back to its formation over 760,000 years ago. S… |
| Abiquiu Lake, NM (New Mexico, North-Central, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
6,375 ft | Also known as Abiquiu Reservoir Abiquiu Lake, located in Rio Arriba County in North-Central New Mexico, offers recreation areas for swimming, camping, fishing, boating, canoeing, kay… |
| Seminoe Reservoir, WY (Central Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
6,357 ft | Seminoe Reservoir is an outdoor person’s wonderland with great fishing and an over 20,000 acre surface for boating and water sports. Near the north en… |
| Trinidad Lake, CO (Colorado, Southeast Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
6,230 ft | Also known as Trinidad Reservoir Seated at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southeastern Colorado, Trinidad Lake is a great place to fish, boat, sail, and enjoy the outdoors. W… |
| Lake Tahoe, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
6,229 ft | Tucked into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and straddling the California-Nevada state line, Lake Tahoe is one of the most famous lakes in the United Stat… |
| Wild Horse Reservoir, NV (Cowboy Country, NV, Nevada, US West Region, USA) |
6,210 ft | Also known as Wildhorse Reservoir Wild Horse Reservoir, also known as Wildhorse Reservoir, is located along the Owyhee River in the deserts of northeastern Nevada near the Idaho border… |
| Jordanelle Reservoir, UT (Mountainland Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
6,182 ft | Jordanelle Reservoir is one of the newest reservoirs in Utah. The Jordanelle Dam was constructed on the Provo River by the Bureau of Reclamation in 19… |
| Crater Lake, OR (Oregon, Southern Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
6,179 ft | Crater Lake is on the crest of the Cascade Range in southern Oregon, about 100 miles from the ocean, and is the centerpiece of Crater Lake National Pa… |